You better run and (formalde)hyde! ‘THE MUMMY’ trailer teases ancient thrills

Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis in THE MUMMY. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

Universal’s monster movies are experiencing yet another rise from the dead. They had their glory days starting back in 30’s. The 50’s brought another crop, and in the late 90’s, the studio tried again to make lightning strike. The hot property that really caught on wasTHE MUMMY. Most recently, the Stephen Sommers directed film was a world-wide sensation back in 1999, taking in $155 million and spawning two sequels and a spin-off (THE SCORPION KING).

Now it’s back, starring an unconventional choice for a monster movie – Tom Cruise. Written by Christopher McQuarrie and Jon Spaihts, and directed by Alex Kurtzman, this iteration of THE MUMMY looks far different from any MUMMY film previous.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.

From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.

The film also stars Annabelle Wallis (King Arthur, Peaky Blinders), Jake Johnson (Jurassic World), Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator).

THE MUMMY opens on June 9, 2017.

Courtney Howard

Courtney Howard is a LAFCA, CCA, OFCS and AWFJ member, as well as a Rotten Tomatometer-approved film critic. Her work has been published on Variety, She Knows and Awards Circuit.